FAQs

How often should I change my furnace filter?

This is the most common asked question, the answer is to check your filter on a regular basis. Every home is different, i.e. the amount of pets, people residing in the home, age of the home and if there are any home renovations being done. I always tell customers to check it when they change their calendar over to the next month and change if needed. The cleaner the filter, the cleaner the air you breath. Also its cheaper to change the filter then to have to pay a contractor to diagnose why your furnace or AC isn’t working because of a plugged filter. Thus also prematurely wearing out parts. It is also the most affordable preventative maintenance a homeowner can do to keep their equipment operating efficiently and prolong the life of the equipment.

Should I cover my outdoor AC condenser in the winter?

Another common question I’m asked frequently, I always advise my customers ‘not to cover’ their outdoor AC condenser during the winter! Reason being condensation will form beneath the cover and begin to rust and rot out the equipment faster. Also rodents like mice will now find it as a nice winter home and take up residence, and begin chewing on wires which won’t be covered under warranty and can be costly to repair. My advice is always to put a piece of plywood on top of the outdoor Condenser with a brick on top of the plywood to keep it from blowing away. The plywood will act as a shield to protect the fan blades from falling ice from your eaves trough that could damage the fan blades and allowing the wind to just blow through the condenser so condensation doesn’t form and its cold enough that rodents wont take up residence.

How often should I have my HVAC equipment serviced?

A fall tune-up and inspection of your furnace by one of our licensed technicians can prevent a costly service repair and the inconvenience of waking up in the middle of the night to a cold home. We can give you a written report on your furnace and make any recommendations, i.e. if we find a component getting weak. Also a print out of a Combustion Analysis of your system so you can have peace of mind your system is operating safely.

Also a spring maintenance of your AC will prolong its life and make sure when you do decide its time to turn it on it will start up and you won’t be waiting during a heatwave for a service technician to show up because every technician is so busy due to other people who haven’t had a spring tune up and their AC won’t work. Therefore saving you money on costly service call and the inconvenience of being without your AC!

How long should my Furnace and AC last and when should I think about replacing them?

The truth is it depends on the Make and Model, how well it is maintained, and are the repair bills out weighing the cost of a new system and if you’re trying to reduce energy costs. I’ve seen some systems that were poorly maintained and last as little as 10years and some systems as long 30years!

What should I set my thermostat at?

My answer to this question is, whatever you find that is most comfortable. What I might find comfortable or someone else, you might not.

What should I set my humidistat at?

Every home is different with regards to size of the house, insulation, weather and with people and pets. I always tell customers to start it at 30% for 2 days and if you still find you’re getting sore throats, bloody noses and or static electricity shocks to increase it to 40%. Give it 2 more days and if you’re still experiencing those symptoms then increase it again, or if symptoms are no longer there then leave it at that setting. Or if you find it too moist because of condensation building up on windows than you should decrease by smaller increments to find your proper settings